The San Francisco 49ers are coming off a heartbreaking Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs despite being arguably the best team in the league for the entirety of 2023. While the team’s future still looks bright with a promising young quarterback in Brock Purdy and stars all around like tight end George Kittle, receiver Deebo Samuel, and running back Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco could look to trade away one of their star playmakers this offseason according to ESPN analyst Dan Graziano.
San Francisco 49ers Trade Away Star Receiver?
According to Graziano, the 49ers should look to trade star receiver Brandon Aiyuk this offseason to address other team needs.
To me, the most likely way this shakes out is Aiyuk ends up getting traded to a team where he’s the clear number-one wideout and where he can get the extension he wants, leaving the Niners to draft his replacement in the first round. That’s the cleanest way for them to address all of their other needs.
I see San Francisco extending Hufanga and coming to some sort of arrangements with Juszczyk and Greenlaw that keep them both around. That leaves the Niners to run it back with some basic core, some upgrades in key spots, and Aiyuk cheering them on from afar.
Brandon Aiyuk Career
According to the analyst, the 49ers will likely be faced with making a tough decision this offseason to create more cap space, which could lead them to trade away the elite receiver. Since entering the league in 2020, Aiyuk has amounted to 3,931 receiving yards, 269 receptions, and 25 touchdowns with San Francisco. He has gotten better every season and has recorded over 1,000 yards receiving in each of his last two seasons.
Will The 49ers Make The Trade?
While nothing has been set in stone, the likelihood of this trade becoming a reality increases as free agency looms near. While there have not been teams revealed who would be interested in trading for the star receiver, there are several teams that could make the move to improve their receiving corps. Do you think Aiyuk will be traded this offseason to clear more cap space, and where do you think he will end up?
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